


Of Rivals and Oniichans

by Nispedana



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Fem!, Fem!Luffy, Gen, Genderbend, Genderbending, Nispedana, female - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-06-07 23:53:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6830488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nispedana/pseuds/Nispedana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Fem!Luffy. Post-Marineford] The adventures of a bright girl made of rubber, during and after she goes through the worst hell of her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Note:** First of all I know many dislike fem! Luffy and R. Harems, but I'd appreciate if everyone who got to this page would give it a try. I'll do my best to make this worth it. And as for my other readers—don't kill me! I swear I'm almost done with 'The Hunter Club's next chapter as well!

 **Also:** Shout out to a close internet friend for forcing me to write this long-sleeping bunny of mine down. I bet many my readers from other fandoms hate us both right now. xD

 **Question:** I'm considering genderbending Boa Hancock as well and, after discussion, then I thought to make the others eunuch-like men if I do. What do you think? Boa Hancock is in the harem, whether she's a girl or boy, but yeah…

 **WARNING:** This occurs during the Marineford arc. Spoilers ahead (probably) to those who hasn't finished it yet.

 **Disclaimer:** OP is Eichiro Oda's property. I am merely a fan. The cover/fanart-to-be-used for the first few chaps isn't mine either (I can't find who it is tho, even with google search. _Tell me_ _if you know_!). I'll draw one when I find the time, and it'll definitely SUCK (esp. compared to the one I'm using now) but hopefully it'll be decent enough to look at. xD

* * *

…

* * *

 _Her feet buckles until it finally gives way, rendering her on all fours, powerless as she tries to reach his vivre card—_ his _sign of life—unaware of the looming threat standing in front of her._

" _LUFFY!" He yells as desperately as he can, praying it reaches her on time. She lifts her head as she hears his calls, hands still hovering to get that piece of paper, and she barely registers that she's about to get killed._

She's going to die.

_But she doesn't. He will never allow her to._

_So he gathers all the strength he can muster to run to her—to do_ anything _he can to save her. When he sees her safe, he barely even registers the red hot arm that has already impaled his heart._

_In the back of his mind, he can hear his precious beads fall down, and his eyes met hers that have grown wide at what she's seeing. He is sorry she has to see this._

_He feels the arm abruptly pulling away from him and he falls on her, directing his head to land on her shoulder. She is shaking, and he can tell she can't even bring herself to lift her hands._

_He wants to apologize to her, for causing her such an emotional would, but his body is at its limit already._

_But despite his very life being drained away, he holds her—the only woman he loved—close, as tightly as he could with the last bit of strength he has, even if only for a moment. He tells her a message for everyone, because he knows she will survive this._

" _Even if when I'm so worthless…" he breathes out. "…even when I am a child of a demon…_

"Thank you for loving me. "

_For making me feel glad that I ever lived._

* * *

天真

CHAPTER 1: Innocence

* * *

FOOSHA VILLAGE  
_10 Years Prior_

"HELPP MEEEE! I'M GONNA DDDIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

His eyes widened as he heard her voice and he whipped his head to Sabo, who had a similar expression. "LUFFY!" They yelled and simultaneously put as much force towards their tiny little legs to propel them forward and sprinted towards the voice they've been looking for (for the last two _hours_ ).

There was no doubt that Luffy angered a beast that she had no business dealing with alone (again), thinking it could be her dinner when it was much more likely that it was the other way around.

They caught up to them just in time to see the giant tiger gaining momentum to crush her with its teeth—when _one_ of its fangs would be enough. They put all their power towards their pipes and hit its head at the same time.

They puffed out all the tiredness and—with foreheads wrinkled in worry—their eyes quickly scanned through the displaced dust to look for their sister. She's on her butt—unharmed—watching both of them with wide eyes. For a moment there they thought she was going to continue crying, only the tears were quickly replaced by stars and she raised her hand in excitement. "WHOA! ACE! SABO! You two are so awesome!" Then she laughed and raised her hands again. "Banzai!"

Only they weren't gonna laugh with her. Faces not hiding their annoyance, they jumped down the warm carcass and stomped to her direction, immediately placing two massive bumps on her head. "I-ITTE!" She cried, holding her head in pain. "What the hell was _that_ for?"

"You _idiot_!" They yelled, absolutely _livid,_ not that they could think of anything else to say. This was the closest to death Luffy had ever been in, and she was _close_. They even stretch her cheeks both sides to show their anger. This better be painful. "It could've easily killed you!"

"But way'm _strongwer_ nowr. I'wll jwust mwake my pwunchch as schrong as a bazweeka and—" But they shut her up by letting go of her stretched cheeks and she fell down at the force. By this time, Sabo had already calmed down a bit, sitting down next to Luffy, but Ace was still furious.

When Luffy sat back up, her head was once again met with his knuckles.

"—THE HECK!" Luffy roared and was about to kick Ace in retaliation when she saw his expression. This stopped her very-deadly-bone-breaking kick midair and she felt herself calm down a little. Sabo looked at them alternately and only smiled in understanding.

"How the hell do we protect you when you keep doing things like this?" He whispered, but it was loud enough to be heard. His soft expression hardened once more, and she shivered. "Do that again, and I will cut ties with you." He announced with venom and whipped his head away.

"You friggin' brat." He mumbled and went to run to a cove to brood and genuinely wondered what would happen if Luffy was gone.

He shuddered at the thought.

...

Luffy, the crybaby who cried whenever she felt like crying, was bawling and Makino gave her all the food in her fridge to calm her down. "Ace _hates_ me again!"

"He's just worried." Sabo told her, nibbling on the tiny chicken leg he managed to get. "You did almost die in front of us, you know."

"I vwon't die," She announced, large servings of viand inside her mouth. "I'm schill gwonna be Pirwate King."

"Not with that thoughtlessness." Sabo explained. "You need to be more careful."

"Eeehh." Luffy droned, swallowed her food, and made a face. "But I _am_ careful."

"NO YOU'RE NOT."

"Tsk."

Sabo face-palms and Makino just laughs. "Just say you're sorry and you'll tell them if you're going to get a massive dinner for all of you." She said, making a hand gesture to show how large the catch could be.

Luffy drooled at the imagined meat and she grinned, running to look for Ace…

…who lasted exactly 4 seconds under her apologetic pout, before telling her he forgives her.

**...**

"Yay! WE'RE BROTHERS AGAIN!" Luffy announced with a yell that could probably be heard all the way from Windmill village. She ran to give him a high-five when she arrived at the tree-house.

Sabo smiled. "You realize you're a girl."

"Yeah."

"So you're our 'sister'."

She frowned. "Maybe. But together we're _brothers_."

Sabo realized 'brothers and sister' may sound too long for Luffy, so "Brothers it is, then…" he said and then looked behind her. "Where's Ace?"

"Still in the cove."

"Why?"

"He won't say but I think he's training." She made a face. So cute. "Then he forces me to go away or else I'm not his brother anymore again." She then turned her head to Sabo, who just wanted to pat her head.

"It's no fair!" Luffy mumbled bitterly, her rubbery cheeks blown up adorably big. "He gets stronger and stronger and I'm SURE it's just so I won't catch up." She gritted her teeth at that last sentence. "That _jerk_."

Sabo ruffled her hair. "It's not that we don't want you to catch up. We just want to be stronger than you every time you do." He grinned, revealing his broken teeth. "Otherwise, what kind of big brother are we if we can't protect you?"

"I don't always have to be protected though." She told him, eyebrows meeting with conviction. "I'll be a captain soon!"

"Yeah, but right now you're not."

"Errr…"

Sabo just chuckled and played with her adorable rubbery cheek. She occasionally puffed it out, with Sabo gladly poking the air out every time. As always, Luffy's anger easily dissipated and they laughed and played until Ace came and they all grin and go back to training.

**…**

For the month that followed the three brothers sparred together as always and they could feel their strengths getting better every day, taking their break naps in their tree house resting in each others' warmth.

A couple more weeks in and Luffy could handle a massive critter all on her own, surprising them every time.

Then they surprise themselves because Luffy absolutely _cannot_ catch up to them. So when she improved a step, they strived to make _three._

"Whaaat." Luffy pouted every time they showed off a new technique. "When did you learn that?!"

"Secret," they grinned, and they laughed and relished the subsequent attention the little girl would give them. And—when the technique is particularly impressive—they could even get her to _give them some of her meat_ (it's true!) if they teach her.

Every day was fun and filled with laughter and limitless dreams and ambitions.

They were happy, and it felt like it would last forever.

.

.

And then Sabo died, and three became two.

**…**

They cried their hearts out during the next several nights, never letting go of the other's hand. They only had each other now, after all, and it would stay that way for many years that followed.

He watched her sleep since then, and he only dozed off when her nightmares ended.

There was no way he was going to lose his sister, too.

**...**

* * *

Luffy thought Ace was being more over-protective than usual. He no longer allowed her to fight monsters she just _knew_ she could take on, he no longer allowed her to get near water if he was not at least a meter away from him, and he even killed their dinner before she got to do her finishing shots!

She knew it was because of Sabo, but _still_.

Heck—he never even let her play with other boys!

"Ace." She finally said, after much thought (which really wasn't that much, considering it was Luffy). "You're being stupid."

"What?"

_"Stupid."_

His nose twitched at this. "If I'm stupid, you're the biggest idiot in the whole world."

She gasped a little at this, offended. "I am _not_ ," she said, voice squeaking a little. "And who gives _you_ the right to determine that?"

"I'm your brother!" He announced, as if that explains everything. "And you follow _my_ rules! That's just how it is. _Baaaka._ " Then his annoyed expression turned smug. "You can't even land a kick on me."

Luffy just tried to kick him after that, all the way til' bed time.

天真

All was nice and well between the sworn siblings for a long time, until a realization came about.

Ace was not even thirteen, then, when he realized his intentions towards Luffy may not be as brotherly as he thought.

When he was eleven he beat a couple of thugs, accidentally saving a pair of girls his age. His popularity sky rocketed and he suddenly had a reservoir of girls wanting to hold his hand, his arm, or even kiss him. A few weeks later and he had already kissed almost every cute girl in town.

The kisses were nice, he thought, and many of them were very pretty girls from noble families. But he didn't think much of it though nor had he ever had the impulse to do it (with the same girl) again.

But then every time he saw Luffy—a little girl _three_ whole _years younger_ than he was—he was always forced to fight the urge to kiss her.

.

.

He never did, of course.

Unfortunately, Luffy's an extremely affectionate (and adorable) kid and when she was happy she was definitely going to hug the person closest to her (which was him) and if she was _really_ happy (i.e. getting to eat a whole massive animal for herself) he'll even get a peck on the cheek.

Then puberty came crushing down on them and it all became a hell-of-a-lot harder.

So… he sailed a year earlier.

"He sails at 16!? Then I will sail when I turn 15!" Luffy yelled, stomped, and otherwise threw a tantrum in front of the village (and their set of bandits) seeing him of.

"No. You will sail at 17." Ace commanded and authoritatively crossed his arms. "You're a girl. You need more training."

"I'm strong!"

"Not strong enough."

"You _Jerk_!" She growled and she launched at him, making his face the target of her pistol-like punch. He avoided it by turning his head, but then he saw her face and she used her elasticity to try to kick him on the knee. He was too surprised by what he'd seen that he didn't even avoid losing his balance, barely feeling the pain in his back as he fell strongly on the grass.

She straddled him so he wouldn't be able to escape and she punched his face repeatedly, unable to hear the yells of the villager.

He raised his hand a bit, to stop the villagers from approaching, taking every hit that Luffy threw at his face. His eyes never left her face.

Luffy was crying— _sobbing_ —and he was frozen in place since it was the first time he had seen her cry since Sabo, and he honestly didn't know what to do.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Makino go between them and the villagers and soon urged everyone to give them room. "They'll be fine." She said. "It's their way of saying good bye." He could hear even Dadan tell the villagers to suck it up and leave the kids some space, and finally they were alone.

Luffy continued placing one more punch on him—a weak one—while she straddled him still. "Sabo left. And you're leaving two years earlier." She finally voiced out. "You want to get away _that_ much?!"

His heart clenched and he wanted to say _that isn't it_ , but something's stuck in his throat. He wanted to say something comforting and he almost did, but then he sat up and she slid down hitting a rather sensitive spot and havoc was wrecked in his senses.

He practically pushed the thirteen-year-old as he stood up, turning to his boat. It was then that he felt a tug on his shirt. "Ace… why are you leaving so early?" she asked once more, albeit her voice was more commanding than one that just came out from a bawling session.

"The earlier I go, the earlier I get to do what we promised." He said, turning his head to her direction, and hoped she stopped asking. But the statement induced an airy 'pssh' from the girl behind him, right after she very audibly sniffed in her snot.

"Then why can't _I_ go earlier as well?"

"Because you're a girl."

"I don't see your point." She then impatiently crossed her arms. "You're lying aren't you?"

He turned and sees her eyes were still a bit red from crying, and snot unabashedly drooping down her nose, and he thought she's adorable as ever. They stay silent for a while, staring each other down, until he sighed… knowing full well he couldn't really reason with her anymore. Not without saying the truth: which absolutely will remain unsaid.

Ace opened up his arms and she, after a second of ponder, walked towards him and went inside it. He enveloped her inside his arms, and he rested his chin on her head (and silently wonders how tall she'll be when they meet again). "Whatever my reason, I'm doing it for you."

"Whhhaaaat."

He held her closer, partly so that she won't ask anymore questions. Unfortunately, it meant her face was against his skin and he could feel her breath vibrate throughout his body. It didn't help when Luffy embraced him tighter, the well-built protective form that—to her—had always emanated strength.

He forced his senses to calm down a bit and took the opportunity to memorize her scent, her voice, and the feel of her body against his.

It took a lot of willpower to part with her, and—due to her own reluctance to let go—he sensed the feeling was mutual. He allowed his hand to stay on her shoulder, just so he could remain in contact with her, and he accidentally looked into her dilating eyes and increasingly reddening face.

His thoughts stopped at that. Was this _really_ how a woman looked at someone she saw as a brother?

Then it hit him.

 _Could it be?_ He asked himself, a little disbelieving.

_Does she think of him the same way?_

He gulped and his hand found its way on the side of her face, partly to see how she'd react. Her eyes remained on him, as if she was doing the same thing: memorizing his face.

Something particularly violent attacked his stomach—but oddly in a good way—and something felt stuck on his throat. His head slowly dipped down, eyes on her lips, but he realized what he's doing, and he stopped midway.

He ruffled her hair instead, before letting go and jumping on his boat.

"BYE, Luffy!" He yelled, forcing a grin, as his less-than-steady hands try to untie the knots. "See you s—"

He was cut off when he felt hands on his face and his body gently being turned and pulled, shortly followed by a soft pressure on his lips. His eyes widened, and the first thing he saw was her characteristically innocent grin. But by the time he realized what has happened, he was already drifting away.

Unfortunately, it seemed that he did manage to untie the knots.

.

.

"E-Eh?" He finally managed to utter out, when he was already a few dozen meters away from shore, right in the middle of the unswimmable coral seas and with the only boat left in the island. "O-OI! LUFFY!" he yelled, raising his hand and waved it to catch her attention. "Stretch your hands! Right NOW! OI!"

Meanwhile Luffy, who had not taken her eyes off Ace heard his calls. "He's yelling something..." she muttered and tilted her head in wonder of what he was saying. Then she saw him wildly waving his hands and she beamed and waved him off as well.

"BYE ACE!" She shouted. "See you sooooon!"

Then she remembered one of Dadan's (many) random stories that were supposed to scare her from sailing. "AND DON'T YOU GO GETTING SUCKED BY WHIRLPOOLS!" She yelled, thinking he could hear. Then she felt a bit worried. After all, Ace can be so stupid sometimes.

.

.

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

**CHAPTER 2: Recollection  
** Because Ace thinks getting well past the hormonal stage _must_ mean he'll be fine when he sees Luffy again. Right?

* * *

回忆

* * *

That's it for the pilot chap!  
Hope you enjoyed, and  
I'd appreciate knowing your thoughts (whatever they are)!  
They inspire me so.


	2. Recollections

**Important! (Sort of):** I realized I _may_ have been a bit rash in uploading chapter 1… so I proofread it again and ended up adding a couple of lines (about a dozen. It was updated about a day after it was published, so if you read it after that you've got no probs). They're not _that_ important, I just thought some of you who read as soon as it's published would wanna know. And no worries! It will _not_ happen again.

 **Note:** THANK YOU TO YOUR UNDYING SUPPORT YO! My old readers—*hugs*—and to my new ones: Welcome! Hahahha. Special hugs to my vocal readers. You inspire me so! And hopefully more people will join that group.

 **AD:** NEW POLL IS UP! NEW POLL IS UUUUUP! It's in my profile. Be sure to vote! (You may also vote via review. Or in Both).

 **CONFESSION CORNER:** The reason why I've put off writing an OP Story for so many years is because the crew's friggin' difficult to write if I want them to be funny, Ha-ha. I mean I find it hard to write (or even think)of the sort of humor the anime/manga has. And now that Luffy's female, I struggle with _her_ characterization, too, and I say this as a genben writer. Tips would be nice!

 **Disclaimer:** One Piece is not mine. It's Oda-sensei's. Again, the fabulous LawxLuffyxAce cover image is NOT mine either. My drawing skills are nowhere near that awesome. xD

* * *

回忆

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: Recollections – Part I**

NANOHANA, ALABASTA  
Two Years Prior

"Hmn…" Ace frowned as he sat, finishing up his 99th plate. He left a message in Drum saying that he'd stay in Alabasta only for ten days. But after the eight day, he still couldn't find her, and that's when he got agitated. Maybe she wouldn't even _try_ to look for him, damn her.

It didn't really get easier when the ninth day came and he found out Blackbeard may be in this town called Erumalu because there was still no news of her crew's arrival.

He chewed on his meat a bit more harshly than usual.

And then he fell asleep.

He was woken up by the sensation of flying, followed by the realization that he was no longer in his seat, covered in rubble, along with a marine he distinctly remembered to be troublesome. The smoker guy started saying something when his thoughts drove back to Luffy.

He imagined actually meeting her and he grinned at the image, his insides swelling with eagerness. He knew what she looked like now, roughly, based on her wanted poster but it has been over _three years_ —

His line of thoughts stopped as he stared in front of him. "What is with all those wall punctures?"

"We went through there."

"…what?"

Smoker ignored him and grunted as he followed the massive tunnel of walls leading to whatever sent them flying. Ace shrugged and followed, primarily out of curiosity. As he walked through each hole he was again reminded of _her_ and how she has run across one of the island's longest cave in an attempt to find the legendary bat as big as a man (that also liked children and chewy substances).

It was something Sabo made up with to make sure she didn't explore that part of the island (it had a lot of snakes), but all Luffy heard was adventure.

He chuckled to himself like an idiot, just before noticing a family in their newly-opened dining room gaping at him. He bowed and apologized for the interruption, before heading his way.

 _She's probably still the same,_ he thought with a smirk and imagined how she'd react to seeing him, before his feet stopped at a thought: How will _he_ react?

He's now well past his hormonal stage. Seeing her again shouldn't be torture. He nodded at the conclusion and went on his way.

He found out shortly after that he was wrong. Very wrong.

He saw her eating as much as he had, gobbling up so much food into her rubber mouth that her eyes became slits and she had no idea he was there. She was her usual unruly self, and he had never seen anyone so beautiful.

Then his face violently got shoved to the floor and, after a loud bellow yelling "Straw Hat!", she disappeared.

**…**

He found them soonafter. It seemed that the Smoker guy had been hunting his sister down for a while and he watched as she nimbly avoided the attacks and even disappeared on him, only to realize that she just fell down a gap.

This made him cackle. That girl never changes.

Then she found her crew (hilariously luring the marines to the whole team) and they run. Ace knew Luffy can't use Haki yet, so he jumped down and showed off his newly acquired power, courtesy of the Old Man.

"Whoa, Ace!? You ate a devil fruit?" She yelled, sparkling, but as much as he wanted to chat right now (or something else) they needed to lose Smoker first.

"Ah." He said, facing the enemy. "I'll catch up to you later." This only made the smoker frown deeply, smoke quickly surrounding him—ready to attack.

"I don't know what your relationship is with her… but I'll take care of you, Fire Fist."

"He's my nii-chan!" He heard her tell her crew as they run and he smiled, almost forgetting he's in front of an enemy.

"You do know fire versus smoke is a pretty pointless fight, right?" was all he replied before allowing his arms and hands to self-combust. Smoker's eyes twitched a little but the man hid his intimidation well.

Ace smirked and crunched his knuckles, particularly energized to spar with an established marine after seeing his sister, absolutely ready to deal with the smoke aiming to kill him.

**…**

He managed to lose Smoker to find the crew… only to find Luffy walking aimlessly all by herself. "Seriously?" he yelled as he looked at her from above one of the building's roofs. "It's like you're not _trying_ to escape."

She didn't really hear anything he has said though, only his voice. "ACE!" she yelled and he laughed and jumped down, to be greeted by what he called a Luffy-glomp—arms stretching to his neck and her whole ricocheting for a hug—and he held her by the hips so she stayed that way.

Under the other's embrace, both breathe out in contentment, as if they weren't breathing the past few years.

They stayed that way for a long time, before she separated her head and rested her arm on his shoulder. "Wanna wrestle?" She asked with a twinkle, almost out-of-nowhere (only it's Luffy so it doesn't count). Something perverted came to mind, thanks to the past four years of being a pirate, but then she jumped down from his embrace and motioned towards a random barrel, positioning her arm.

He should have known she meant _arm_ wrestle. She was absolutely excited to show him how strong she got so he held her hand to fight.

He only laughs before walking towards her, leaning down and resting his elbow on the wood, and met her challenge.

And indeed, she got stronger. Way stronger.

The barrel broke first, and he didn't let go of her hand. He looked at her radiant smile and he knows he was giving it off too. How long had it been since he has seen it personally? He can only thank the marine photographer for the nice happy picture on her wanted poster that kept him from missing her to the point of insanity.

She beamed at him. "I've gotten stronger haven't I? Totally Pirate king worthy, right?" She asked, before giving him an even _brighter_ expression (which honestly didn't seem possible at all). "You should see my nakama. They're strong—but more importantly, they're _really_ funny."

She proceeded on giving him a fast-tracked introduction of each one: the haramaki-wearing green-haired swordsman, the strong-kicking cook, the hot-headed-but-awesome navigator, a long-nosed-sniper-liar, and a talking-reindeer-doctor. She added they also have a princess and her large duck/emergency food supply #2 as nakama.

He barely registered the information though, as his eyes were set on her expressions—even the most miniscule ones—and when he felt it was not enough, so he took a step forward and pinned her to the brick wall so that she wouldn't move. He wanted to see all the little details—how much she had changed—and to refresh his memory of her face.

She stopped talking in response and stared back, and under her unassuming stare he could feel his whole being desperately want to do _something._ Still, he hesitated. He always did.

Luffy, though, did what she does best: Whatever the hell she wants.

During her silence she raised her hands to his cheeks, tracing his freckles with a somewhat serious face, and that moment he forgot to breathe. Then she laughed that laugh of hers—noting something about him simultaneously being red and blue—and gave him a toothy grin. "I missed you," she said, before giving him a serious question face. "And where did half your freckles go?"

The strength in his arms all but gave way and his elbow bent to the point that they were now a mere inch apart. Her breath sends pleasurable sensations down his spine. But he only stared at her and wondered how _he_ was so shaken while she could challenge him to arm wrestle and tell her all about other people the first time they've seen each other in almost four years.

He was suddenly full of doubts—a feeling not unusual to him, especially for someone with his blood line—but he was stronger now and he wanted to dispel it, once and for all.

"Luffy." He voiced out, nervous. "What do you think of me?" he paused and, to ensure she understood the question, added: "Do you see me as a man?"

"Well, you can't be a woman."

His head falls then he lifts it up again. "Why'd you kiss me?"

She scratched her cheek in ponder, and he stared at her (nerves wreaked), until she decided on the answer. "I felt like it."

"I'm technically your brother."

She stared at him, not seeing his point.

"You do not kiss your brothers in the lips."

"Eh?" He watched her eyebrows furrow. "Why?"

He could only gape at her and came to a conclusion that _she didn't_ have any idea _what she felt_.

He should have known. He _really_ should've known.

The realization had thrown him into an odd mixture of shock, despair, and amusement and the following silence between them lasted unusually long.

After a while of incredulity, he can feel his insides bubbling and his head fell again—letting out a loud laugh. There was no point explaining this to her, he knew. She had always been action-first before doing any sort of thinking, anyway.

"Ne, Luffy—HAHAHA—but _seriously_ ," He breathed out, proximity smaller than ever. "Can I kiss you?"

She looked at him weirdly (since he _was_ just laughing for no reason at all) before she registered the question and grins ("Ace, you're weird"). Then he grinned as well and it stayed on his lips as he leaned down to meet hers—

"There they are!"

"Tsk." Those blasted bounty hunters find them and a couple of seconds later she saw her ship. "I'll take care of this." He said, absolutely planning on barbecuing them and sticking them on a stick. Luffy knew him enough to predict what he was planning. Hence, by the time he finished the sentence, she was already flying to her ship.

He shook his head, amused, but then his face changed the moment he turned to the cockroaches that interrupted his precious kiss.

"Get his head, men— _Eek!_ "

"What the—"

"You're pants are burning!"

" _Your_ **hair** is burning!"

" _SHIT!"_

Those who survived to tell the tale would call him a fire-breathing demon.

回忆

He caught up to them a few minutes later, when she was introducing him to the crew. "I couldn't beat him even before he ate the devil fruit!" Then she cackled. "I bet I'm stronger than he is now, though." She's so sure about herself that he took it upon himself to correct her.

"You sure 'bout that, Luff?"

"Ace!" She called and he jumped down, scanning the crewmates she's so proud of. So colorful, he thought, and not just in the literal sense. But then again, you can't expect a normal crew with a captain like Luffy. Staring at them, he patted Luffy's head. "She must've caused you a lot of trouble."

"Yes, she has." They say at once.

He laughed, "Sorry 'bout that." He said, and offers to light the cook's cigarette. Silence passed by the ship, (what did she call it? Merry?) then they joked about how he and Luffy couldn't _possibly_ be siblings (he's _way_ too well-mannered compared to their unruly captain) and Luffy in turn snickered and bragged about how hilarious her crew was.

It was then that he notices the women were wearing dancer's clothes, and he whipped his head to Luffy, looking down, imagining what might be inside that cloak—

"What are you looking at?"

"You couldn't be wearing dancer's clothes, too?" He asked, not really caring if the anticipation was audible in his voice or not.

"I bought her one!" Sanji-the-kicking-cook raised his hand, eager to impress, instinctively knowing that Ace would want to see the captain in alluring clothes once in a while. "But Marimo kicked it away."

"Oh?" Ace's eyebrows rose at this, and he turned his head to the grumpy-looking swordsman, who similarly raised an eyebrow in response. They stared at each other. "Is that so?"

He then turned his head back to the cook and patted his shoulder, not bothering to hide a threatening aura looming above them. "You weren't planning on peeping on my sister now, are you?"

The usually-impenetrable Sanji became intimidated and he realized his mistake. "I-I wouldn't dare, Onii- _sama_." He said, coolly going by his gut, just before walking towards the other man and lowers his voice. "But when I _do_ , I'll be sure it's for your eyes only."

Ace grinned at this, and they simultaneously made a thumbs-up.

"Whoa." A little voice below him yells in awe. It was the small furry doctor. "Sanji became a minion!"

The freckled man smiled at the kid then jumped down the balustrade so he stood on the deck with the crew.

"And please continue taking care of her," he said, giving a customary bow. They flinch, and bows the same way.

"Ah." They say simultaneously, with deadpan expressions. "We'll have to."

Luffy laughed. "So _funny_."

Then her eyes ended up on Ace's bare neck and she turned her head to the swordsman at a recollection. "Oi, Zoro!" She yelled. "Did you get what I asked for?"

The green-haired man nodded stoically and ruffled his coat pocket and threw something at her. She twinkled as she caught it. "Oooohhh~!" "As expected of my first mate!" She yelled and proudly patted his back continuously with force that'd kill a normal man.

Ace watched the exchange and right on cue—a certain fleet of enemies comes rushing in, yelling to attack them.

He stopped the crew from doing anything, saying he'd deal with it and jumped into his little fire-powered boat.

He came back after pouring his well-hidden annoyances towards Baroque Works' ships and sat on the wooden railing behind Luffy—barely aware of the awed gapes of her grew—and pulled her in for a possessive back hug.

Luffy didn't flinch much and continued to chat and mumble about his devil fruit, but he had seen the narrowing of the swordsman's eyes and Ace smirked a little, knowing the message was sent.

**.**

**.**

**END OF CHAPTER 2**  
CHAPTER 3: Recollections – Part II  
Ace travels with the gang to Erumalu, in what will comprise his  
last good moments with his sister.

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**Note:** As you may have guest with the part I and II thing, this was a much longer chapter. But got too long so I decided to cut in half. With that in mind, I'm almost done with the much longer and _denser_ chap 3(sans a few details and proofreading)! It _should_ be up in less than a week.

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回忆

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Again, thanks for reading!

And don't be shy to leave reviews/comments/thoughts/Flames/Crits before you go!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Read the rest at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11941071/1/Of-Rivals-and-Oniichans  
> And do comment - here or in fanfiction.net! ;D  
> I appreciate the time you'd give me.


	3. Recollections II

**Third and final Ace-centric chapter yo! ACE! You will be missed. Next chapter will introduce Hancock and Law, too, so look forward to** _**that** _ **. xD And THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT FOLKS! As, always, special thanks to my primary motivators: the vocal readers, I appreciate the additional effort to let me feel your presences. :)**

 **QUESTION:** Boa Hancock will appear next chap so WE HAVE TO DECIDE. To genderbend or not to genderbend? XD

 **AD: (1)** I've collected a couple of Fem!Luffy fanarts I've seen in the net. Feel free to check them out! [ Nispedana/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums. Just erase the spaces on the 'facebook' part. doesn't allow for links.]

 **(2)** Oh, and be sure to _vote in the POLLS_. The one leading now is T. Law, followed by Sabo, and then Zoro. It is **OPEN indefinitely**. I'm fond of slow burn romances anyway, so the end game can wait, and I assume I'll keep it open even after then for curiosity's sake.

 **Disclaimer:** One Piece is not mine. It's Oda-sensei's. Again, the fabulous LawxLuffyxAce coverimagine is NOT mine, either.

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...

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" _AAACCCEEE!" He hears her screech. They are so fraught that it's almost as if her lungs are bleeding. He can hear her sobs, but it is slowly fading away, along with his consciousness. He wants to tell her not to cry—is she_ really _going to send him off in tears?—but he doesn't even have the energy to breathe._

 _He hears her ask—_ beg _—him to wake up, stand up, and run away with her but that's not possible at the moment._

_That's Luffy for you, he tells himself with a pained smile, asking for the impossible._

_It is also how he knows she'll get through this._

_So when he finally lets go of his strength, there is a smile eternally pasted on his face._

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回忆

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**CHAPTER 2: Recollections – Part II**

EN-ROUTE TO ERUMALU  
Two Years Prior

"Food!"

"Water!"

" _Shade_!"

"I feel like I'm walking on the suuuunnnn." Luffy dragged her feet through the sand and, while the orange-head yelled for her to be quiet, Ace only saw adorableness. He just wanted to give her his barrel of water.

Unfortunately, the same woman (along with most of her crew) told him not to spoil Luffy. As she was looking at him, there was little doubt that she was thinking that it's no wonder _Luffy was so selfish and spontaneous._

(Although… he would partly agree to this. Luffy had the predisposition of a ruthless adventurer, but it was Sabo and he who protected and trained her through everything and gave her everything she wanted with a little pout that she never really changed).

So, a bit guiltily and mostly amused, he watched Luffy carry on as everybody else had.

"Food!"

"Wateerr!"

" _Shaaaaaade_!"

"Shut UP, LUFFY!"

Luffy didn't seem to hear the navigator's command and she whipped her head to him, eyes begging and he could practically hear her thoughts. _CARRY ME AAACCEEE,_ she said, but he knew how torturous _that_ would be for him, and it wasn't because she was heavy or that he wasn't strong enough.

Instead of carrying her though he only walked side-by-side with her and leaned down a little so they were eye-to-eye as they spoke.

He had to stop a laugh from coming out because Luffy was _so tired_ and _so bored_ that her rubber body was practically sagging. He told her she should be a _bit_ more patient, because everybody else is, and a captain should be able to endure more. (Although he didn't doubt she'd be the one to endure the most during their fights, and that worried him the most).

"Fine," she grumbled and she received a proud ruffling of her hair, and decided she can endure a bit longer.

Meanwhile, everyone else stared.

After all… Luffy actually _listened_ to someone!

**…**

As he traveled with them to Erumalu, his dark-colored orbs watched as Luffy continuously caused trouble to her crewmates (i.e. she often disappeared, ate cacti and underwent major hallucinations of Crocodile, she wasted water, she'd be noisy and impatient, and she ran after the most dangerous desert critters, among others).

And it hadn't even been a day.

It was not a surprise, knowing Luffy, and it troubled him a little. She may have incredible amounts of charm and can turn almost anyone into a friend, but having to stay with her as a nakama was a grueling task not for the weak of mind and heart.

So although by experience he knew there's nothing to worry about, a part of him still did. He feared for the day his sister may get hurt by being left behind.

But soon after he noticed how—despite the seeming lack of captain-treatment she got—including being yelled at, hit, and being called insults—her crew genuinely cared for her.

When she got into trouble, the crew—particularly that swordsman, whom she could share wordless messages with—despite being vocal about how troublesome the captain was, would thoughtlessly jump into danger to help without a care of whatever injury could be inflicted on them in the process. When she was hungry he could see how they'd all secretly ponder on how to feed her, even the money-loving navigator, whom he could tell was willing to spend money to make sure the captain was well-fed. And when she's thirsty they'll quietly think of the ratio they have left.

He smiled, relating to their dilemmas. Luffy was a troublesome person—a _captain—_ who's followed by danger anywhere she went, and vice versa, but they happily (not that some would admit) care for her anyway.

He could tell—as someone who has had his share of disloyal human beings—and even after knowing most of them for such a short time that they'd be willing to die for her, as she would to them. They seem to truly love her. Almost as much as he and Sabo did.

 _Almost,_ he told himself. Almost.

**…**

The desert was cold, windy, and dangerous during the night—as it was every other night. It was never lonely though, as the rambunctious set of pirates illustrated.

He smiled as he watched Luffy cuddle with the cute reindeer for warmth, along with another one of her friends. The long-nose was a good friend that didn't eye Luffy like she was a woman (he had a sense in these things, and he also mumbled the name 'Kaya' a bit too many times), so he did not burn him for practically cuddling with Luffy.

The princess approached him as the crew continued to play, while he continued to watch Luffy, obviously wondering if he was worried for Luffy and how she acted, including how she was being treated. He smiled and he thanked her for her concern, and for being with Luffy and mustering the patience of a saint.

His joking demeanor soon changed to a sincere one as he turned his sights back to his sworn sister. He agreed. Luffy just had the charm to attract people and rouse loyalty to be admired by many, it was her strongest trait, and would continue to be so.

That night, he volunteered to be the one on watch, simply because it was comfortable to be protecting Luffy and her crew when he could. He felt the swordsman watching him from behind, a little warily, but the latter soon dozed off to sleep as well.

Midnight soon approached and—as a particularly cold wind passed by them—he turned his head to where Luffy had been. She was beginning to shift, woken up by the breeze. She opened her eyes and looked around her, eyes ending to his spot, before dragging herself to sit beside him. He realized she was half-asleep.

He could only watch as she somewhat lifted his coat so she could enter its folds, subsequently wrapping her arms around him and she dwelled on his warmth. But, really, it was him who felt so much warmer. And as someone made of fire, that was saying something.

He closed his eyes, remembering the first time he had met. _"I'm Luffy! Yoroshiku!"_

Who'd have thought she'd grow to be such a massive— _essential—_ part of his whole being?

With a soft smile, he patted her head and her back making her smile, and she gave out a hum of contentment when he increased his body temperature. He chuckled at this and thought that he has never been as thankful for eating the devil fruit as he was now.

…

It was during one of the messes she made, one of the first things she did that morning (which was lose _all_ of their stuff), when Luffy managed to bring back a camel. What she had in mind was to eat it though—emergency food supply, to be precise, as she did just bring back a massive lizard—unaware of its use.

It was apparently named 'Eyebrows' by Nami when Vivi told them its use, and ero-camel by Usopp and Luffy.

"Only two can ride him," Chopper said translating for Eyebrow and Vivi said she can walk when Eyebrow turned its head to Luffy, with a cool sparkle in his eyes. Their eyes meet and Luffy stared back. "Why?" She asked and they realize she's asking the _camel,_ and it replied with a grunt.

"Oi, Chopper! What did it say?"

"He is thankful for you saving him, but he says only Vivi and Nami are the only ones allowed to ride him," the reindeer said, almost robotically. "Because they have boobs."

"I'M GONNA EAT YOU YOU DAMNED CAMEL!" She yelled, biting the poor camel somewhere near its humps. Usopp tried to pull her (and her teeth) away from the camel while everybody else blinked.

Although, Usopp and Carue was still cackling a bit too loudly at that, only to receive a shark-like bitemarks of their own.

**…**

For the next hour or so, the main sound they hear across the desert was Luffy's mumbling complaint.

"You're not feminine at all, though. Maybe he thinks you're a guy." Usopp said. She's cute on her own way, he thought, but sexy? _Luffy_? He cracked himself up.

She 'tsked', and although she had never really cared for _boobs_ in general, why she couldn't get a ride on the convenient camel was beyond her. Well, okay, she knew that Vivi and Nami needed it a thousand more times than she did but _c'mon_ she wanted to ride the thing, too!

She puffed out her chest. "I _do_ have boobs! I dare say they're normal sized." She turned as they walked and pointed up at the other girls. " _Yours_ are just too big!"

The camel then twinkled again, and Chopper (as he was lying down on the piece of wood Zoro was pulling) half-heartedly translated. "Show me."

This earned the camel four punches, courtesy of: Ace, Sanji, Nami, and Zoro.

.

Furthermore, Ace had to stop her before she showed anything more to the blasted camel. With his arms draped around her, they look up as the princess began speaking.

"I'm… really okay with walking, though…" Vivi said, eyeing Luffy. And, inadvertently, she eyed him as well. She had been doing that since that morning, when she saw Luffy sleeping contentedly between his legs and under his embrace.

But Luffy crossed her arms and pompously said she'll forgive Eyelashes (Luffy code: She wouldn't eat him), if she followed Vivi's wish. The camel genuinely looked torn.

Ace knew pushing Luffy's patience (which is stretched thin since he has asked her to be considerate for _hours_ ) could spell disaster so, telling himself to steel up for the upcoming contact, and got on his knees with his back on Luffy.

"Get on my back." He said and Luffy absolutely brightened, while the others were just surprised.

"AACCEE~!" She yelled/squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stood up and supported her legs as well.

As expected, his jaw tightened at the contact and he threw a passing glare at the camel responsible for making him go through this pleasing-but-torturous ordeal.

"You're the _best_ , Ace!" She announced, hugging him just a little tighter.

Well okay, the torture's worth it.

回忆

As they walked they talked about a lot of things, primarily a continuation of her stories the previous day which were stories that started from getting sucked by a whirlpool (stupid Luffy) all the way to getting the ship and the sniper after finishing off a kinda-retired-cat-captain.

He had to open it up primarily to distract him. Thankfully, everyone was happy to share. By this time, Chopper managed to get out of his tired stance to join in the story, and the other crew members added details that Luffy missed or got wrong. They were currently on Arlong, whose defeat gave her her very first bounty, with Usopp adding he beat a merman all by himself too. "He was a scary fish." She said.

"He's a shark," Usopp corrected her. "A very sharp-teethed shark."

Then there was a talk of dragons and thousand-year disappearing islands and he had to admit that the crew had been through a _lot_ even during the first few months of their travel. Heck, while they were _still_ in the weakest sea!

She continued with her animated story telling (she had a gift for it) with Ace and the others occasionally laughing, until— "Then we went down rev…erse mountain and… met… ahwhale….Laboon…Zzzz."

And so, after a few hours of talking, everyone decided to keep their energy in to walking—especially since the captain was visibly beginning to doze off.

Nami slowed down the camel a little and looked at them with a bemused smile. "You sure spoiled her, huh?" She asked with words that were supposed to be sardonic, but the expression on her face told him the girl on his back probably looked peaceful and cute.

"I couldn't help it," was all he said, unable to stop a nostalgic grin. "She's the person I loved the most for as far as I can remember."

回忆

For hours on end, comfortable silence dominated the party's environment—possible only because the noisy captain's sound asleep. It lasted until he felt one of her arms move and began tracing his upper arm and the area just below his collar bones.

He couldn't help but shiver. "What are _you_ doing?" He hissed, startled and annoyed now that he was finally getting closer to becoming physically indifferent to her being attached to his back, she decided to destroy his composure again.

But as he felt her head change positions, all he heard was a heavy sigh. "I'm strong too. I'm _very_ strong." He can feel her pout even without looking. "But why don't I have hard muscles… they look cool…and hard as a rock."

He pushed down the embarrassment and gave her a small smile. "Your strength lies on your elasticity. You become more elastic and sturdy as you grow stronger. Didn't Sabo teach you this before?" Ah scratch that, she probably never listened.

Then he felt another intrusive hand and turned his head. It was Usopp. "It's true! Hard as a rock." He said, impressed, before turning his head to the swordsman, his hand wiggling to see if Zoro's were the same, which earned him a shoe print on his long face.

"Damned idiot," he grumbled as he trudged pass Usopp and continued walking, pulling Chopper on his little sled.

Ace only sweat-dropped at this and continued to walk, as well. It was then that he can felt the swordsman stare at his back at a stronger vehemence than before. Occasionally, he also felt the cook's, who had (until a while ago) been passing off his ogling warm stares and lingering touches to Luffy as an unusual case of sister complex.

He was taken back to the present by Luffy's laugh. "Shishishi—Usopp's getting buried by the sand! Good thing he has such a large nose so he can still breathe…"

This made the swordsman sigh and then grumble again when Nami ordered him to take Usopp out of the sand, or else his debt will increase. "Devil woman," he muttered and went to the sniper, which only made Luffy laugh harder.

Speaking of the swordsman… "Hey, Luffy." He called, and once again both her arms wrapped his neck so she could listen closely. "I've been meaning to ask…" He paused at the recollection of the chemistry between the two crewmates.

"What did you ask the swordsman to get?"

"Huh?"

"That time in the ship, when we escaped from Nanohana."

"Oh, _this_?" She grinned and lifted her sleeves up. It was a bead bracelet, similar to the necklace he was wearing. "You got one just like Dadan's, and I got one just like yours!"

He laughed at this, jealousy dissipating. "When did you get the chance to ask?"

"While you were saving us. I saw it in the shop and asked Zoro to get one for me." Then she chuckled at what was apparently a funny memory, hugging him a bit tighter. "We were kinda running away and he usually gets lost easily, so it's impressive."

Well, okay, that did deserve a compliment. The swordsman did give Luffy something to remember _him_ by, anyway.

**…**

The second night they managed to camp on a small outcropping. Like the previous one, they huddled around a campfire made easily by his devil fruit. Everyone was tired and stretching the fatigue out.

Well, except for Luffy, who was stretching for a different reason altogether. "What a great naaappp!"

The Sniper made a face and hit her with a booger-shot, landing on the middle of her eyes. "…what… GAH!" She yelled and went to attack the sniper, who was definitely in a bad mood at the unfairness of it all.

Everyone laughed, including Ace, until he felt a bit of a strain on his back. It wasn't much, but the fact that it felt uncomfortable was natural considering he carried a person for hours. "My back hurts. " He said. An exaggeration, but not exactly a lie. "Luffy, fix it. It's your fault anyway."

Luffy puffed her cheek at this, but did as she was told. "Mah, maybe I can get you to carry me tomorrow too," she smirked as she went behind him to massage his back.

The crew stared, no doubt waiting for Luffy to accidentally break his back. Of course, he'd spent years living with her. He was bound to teach her a few things.

She put light pressure just at the right spots as he sat, and he let out a hum of relaxation, managing to maintain composure under her touch. (Otherwise he wouldn't have asked her to do this, even if she begged him to).

Her crew, amusingly, gaped. "U-Unbelievable."

"Didn't think she'd know that."

"T-This doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh~ Maybe I could get her to massage me, too!"

This comment by the navigator made Luffy's eyebrows meet. "EHHHH…"

"I'll give you meat."

"Oh, okay."

They watched as their usually-clumsy captain gently made his back pain go away. He hears tiny hoove-steps and opens his eyes to see Chopper observing Luffy and his back. "Luffy's doing the right thing," he said, completely in awe. "Just the right type of therapy after heavy-lifting."

"Ehh…" That was Zoro, interested, but Ace was sure to stare at him with eyes that said _don't you dare_. The swordsman frowned, before smugly staring back: _As if you can do anything about it when you go_.

This bastard.

But he wasn't able to retort as the doctor was now in front of him. "How would Luffy know that?" he asked, well aware Luffy wouldn't be able to a decent answer.

"We taught her." He said, "She needed an activity to increase her control—her pistol never hit the right spots—and we taught that might as well make the exercise useful.

Sanji tentatively put down his cigar and blew smoke. "We?"

"Sabo and I," he said. "He's another brother. His name is Sabo."

"You had another brother?!" Chopper squeaked, amazed at how big the world was. " _Sugoi_."

"Maaan. It sure's a surprise to find out Luffy even _had_ a brother."

"Ehhhh—she didn't even talk about me?" He said, turning his head to her with a pout. "I talked about you _all_ the time in my boat." He said, seeing one of Marco loose comments about his sister-complex very clearly inside his head. "I'm hurt."

"But they never asked." She said bluntly and Ace gasped and he glared at the crew. "Why? Didn't you care enough for your captain's personal life, _huh_?"

Nami and Vivi sweat-dropped, with Vivi defensively raising her hands. "W-Well it isn't _that_ per se. It's just that—"

"Luffy-san just emits a 'present is what matters' aura." Vivi supplied. "It just doesn't invite much question about the past."

Ace 'tsked' and turned his head back to Luffy. "You know the old man practically knows you."

"Old man?"

"Whitebeard."

Almost everyone paled a little. "Whitebeard!?"

"Who's that?" Luffy asked, and Chopper also stared in curiosity.

Usopp stuttered at this, animatedly raising his hand. "Oh, h-he's just _the greatest pirate alive._ " "He's the closest guy to One Piece."

"EH?!" Luffy was surprised (intrigued and offended), and she didn't notice she poked a spot rather strongly.

"I-ITTE!" Ace yelled, losing his sitting position. He ended up dropping on his back, with Luffy as a cushion. Tilting his head up, he glared at Luffy who chuckled guiltily.

"Whoops." She said. "Sorry."

He gritted his teeth and raised his hand, pinching the girl's cheek—as far as they could go. "I swaid I'm swooweee!" She yelled, placing a palm on his face, which lead to a casual wrestling fight between siblings.

Only everyone's gut was telling them there was something misplaced in the scene.

"I hope it's okay to ask, but… are you two really blood-related?" Vivi asked, getting the two stop their match, with Luffy practically sitting on Ace's abdomen, straddling him. Zoro stood up and pulled her up with her cardigan like a child and with a _flop_ she landed at sand nearby.

Ace sat up, while most of the crew stared at Vivi and her rather blunt question. She realized this, too—and as a person who was supposed to be educated in diplomacy—she was embarrassed. "Eh? I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that wa—"

"We're not." Ace answered with similar bluntness, and internally admitted (with a shrug) that he _was_ a bit touchy with Luffy. "We became brothers through sake."

"Sworn siblings, eh…" The swordsman mumbled.

"So… the guy Sabo. He was sworn in, as well?"

"Yes."

"So where is he now?" Chopper asked Luffy, who looked at the starry sky.

"Sabo?" she called out, as if she was talking to him, before looking back at the reindeer. "He's dead."

This made everyone gape, and they looked at them apologetically. The doctor panicked and hurried to apologize. "I'm sorry—"

"It's okay." Luffy grinned, patting the half-animal in the head, and Ace knows it was genuine. "He died doing what he wants." And that's that.

回忆

"So… we're around a campfire with nothing to do…" Usopp droned as they circled the campfire, unwilling to sleep after everything that had just been revealed. Still, as the resident clown he needed to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Well, we _can_ sleep." Nami suggested as if it was only an option, though she didn't feel like sleeping herself either. It was then that the doctor recalled one of Dr. Hiluluk's tales about campfires and storytelling.

"STORIES!" He said out loud. "We can tell stories!"

They turned to Ace.

"E-Eh? Me?"

Luffy laughed at this. "N'aw. Ace sucks at telling stories."

Rather than being discouraged though, Ace took this on as a challenge instead. Propping his chin on his hand, he darkened his face… to tell a horror story.

"NOOOOO!"

"Please don't."

It was Nami who suggested the alternative. "Why not tell us about your childhood?"

Luffy twinkled at this. "Then I'll tell everything with Sabo."

That night, the crew and Vivi listened to some tales of the ASL trio who were ten and seven, respectively, but had more adventures than most of them before they met Luffy—and most of which were so ridiculous they laughed their hearts out.

The siblings brightened at every mention of Sabo, and the crew realized they weren't really sad about his death, because he was celebrating his life until that very day.

**…**

A few more days passed and they reach Erumalu, the green city and they were suddenly aware of what happened to the country because of Crocodile. They continued to travel and met various people—sand pirates, rebel-imitating goons—and the final of which was a Scorpion, a bounty hunter Ace dealt with himself when he got lost from the group.

"Told you he was stupid." Luffy said when they realized he was lost, which earned her a little bump on her head courtesy of Nami.

When he returned he told them that some bounty hunter spread rumors about defeating Blackbeard so he could get him.

"Wow. You've come all this way…" Usopp mumbled empathically. Ace shrugged.

"Mah, I'm just glad I got to spend time with you guys at least." He grinned. "It was a long shot anyway." Heck, it was practically an excuse to go see Luffy and the people she was trusting her life with.

At this, he looked at them one-by-one with a smile. The navigator will keep them alive at sea, the sniper would be a great companion for her to play with, the cook will provide her delicious and healthy food, and the doctor will treat her wounds. And the swordsman… the man she could communicate best without the need for words, and the person she trusted most in her ship.

He might dislike the swordsman as a man, but every one of them was good person. He could rest his worries.

He still sent _that guy_ a threatening glare though.

"We'd like to be alone for a while." Ace said politely, and Nami nodded, pulling every unwilling curious bystander out of the way. Luffy laughed at this before turning her gaze back to Ace.

Their eyes met and heave out heavy sighs. "So this is it, eh?"

The parting is similar to when they parted in Fuusha village, but she had her own crew now and no longer sobbed like a baby at his departure. He can feel she has grown up. He was both proud of her and sad for himself at the same time.

"Our world is expanding, and it will expand even more." He said, taking a step closer to her. "We'll follow our dreams and we'll meet on the way." She smiled at his words and he grinned in response, leaning down and tilted his head, placing a peck on her lips. They didn't even notice the collective gasp of the Nakama hidden behind a tall rock.

His hand moved to behind her neck to push her closer to him and deepen the kiss a little, with her hand resting on his bare chest. He pulled himself away just as he was to lose any shred of decency he had left.

His eyes never left her flushed face and his fond smile never left his. He almost forgot to give her something important, but he remembered it when he thought of how he'd meet her again. "Here." He said, placing a piece of paper on her hand. It was his vivre card, and he told her it will lead them back to each other.

At his words, she held on to it as if it was a treasure, and he chuckled, stealing one more kiss.

She gaped at him and he laughed, and then he began stepping backwards knowing it was time to go, or it never would be. "See yah, Luffy!" Then he looked behind her, "You too guys!" And the crew (well, most of them) awkwardly waved their goodbye.

"We'll see each other again soon." She yelled with a grin as he was walking away. He etched it in his memory.

It was a good decision, because that would be the last time he'll see her carefree smile.

**.**

**.**

**CHAPTER 4: Farewells**  
Luffy wakes up to realize that Ace  
is gone.

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**...**

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**THANK YOU FOR READING, EVERYONE!**

I hope you enjoyed this, and please don't hesitate to write down your thoughts!

I'd love to know them all!

**Author's Note:**

> The story will be updated in fanfiction . net  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11941071/1/Of-Rivals-and-Oniichans


End file.
